Wednesday, December 25, 2019

Why Everybody Is Talking About Samples of Descriptive Essay Topics...The Simple Truth Revealed

Why Everybody Is Talking About Samples of Descriptive Essay Topics...The Simple Truth Revealed Ok, I Think I Understand Samples of Descriptive Essay Topics, Now Tell Me About Samples of Descriptive Essay Topics! Whatever you present in your essay needs to be reasonable and based on the information that you have collected. If you're assigned to compose a descriptive essay. A descriptive essay will center on describing major points. Well, drafting a descriptive essay might not be a simple feat to accomplish. Utilizing real sample college essays that worked will offer you a good idea about what colleges search for. Most companies supply you with the very first part of a Sample essay. A Secret Weapon for Samples of Descriptive Essay Topics If you're writing an argumentative essay it's important that you write on a topic that you have knowledge about and you think that you're able to win over the audience with your arguments. You're anticipated to persuade the readers with your arguments, so make sure that you include as many supporting academic parts of evidence as you are able to. When writing a report to compare your ideas, it's necessary for you to figure out the items which are related in some manner. The objective is to present your readers a comprehension of something. A few of the essays require that you describe what's happening and a number of them are about why it's happening. You may acquire an idea for a starting point in your essay. Besides a background, you will hav e to highlight significant points in the play, then restrict your focus to what will be concluded at the close of the essay. It's advisable that you just pick the topic that it is possible to deal with, for instance, if you're not t sketching the personality characteristics then you need to better not elect for it. Lies You've Been Told About Samples of Descriptive Essay Topics You will use each part in your Technology essay based on the form of content you need to produce. You might have tips to enhance the usage of supportive sources and in-text citations. In here, you ought not introduce any new details. Information ought to be sufficient and irrefragable. Even when you're expected to compose an informal essay, adding facts from credible sources will allow you to provide strong arguments to back up your opinion. Make sure you own a thesis statement and topic sentences for each and every paragraph. Every paragraph must cover a single topic in making the circulation of th e essay smooth. The third and fourth paragraph should give the seriousness of the issue and the repercussions if the issue isn't solved. When you place an order, regardless of what topic it's on, you can be sure that you will have core elements of analysis conducted in your essay. Each point ought to be in its own paragraph and needs to be mentioned in the very first sentence or what's often referred to as the topic sentence. The ideal way to attain that is to wisely choose the topic and produce an outline. Descriptive essay always includes creative writing, even when topic appears to be dull and boring at first. Researching the essay topic will allow you to determine what to write about in the essay and the way to structure it. Inside my experience, descriptive essays are only difficult in regards to deciding just what things to write about. Starting your essay with a counterargument is frequently one of the most troublesome techniques to start an essay. Put simply, just what purpose do you want to express in your essay. A conclusion is as essential as any other portion of the essay and needs to be carefully and articulately written. After doing your research you will be in a position to formulate the most important idea of your essay. In it, you indicate the intention behind the essay. For concluding your Reflective essay, there aren't many significant points you ought to consider. You may not only get the normal essay writing help, but they also offer valuable editing support because most of them are accomplished essay editors and proofreaders also. Therefore, here are a few basic tips to aid you in writing of good descriptive essay. There are particular steps which you will need to comply with if you are ready to create a compelling descriptive essay. Introducing Samples of Descriptive Essay Topics Drafting and planning in addition to researching should be done in order to have a simple writing. Quality customized papers from our company, you're going to be writing an Essay Personal. A terrific prompt is something which makes it possible to to learn the skills you have to compose an expository paper. Strategies for Writing a Descriptive Essay LetterPileNow that you've chosen a topic that's well worth taking the time writing a descriptive essay about, it' s time to compose an outline. It is possible to write your Comparative essay by using online tips if you are ready to work hard and study the critical points supplied by different sites. To provide a sound design you'll require at least three supporting facts to back this up. Likewise the well-being of the U.S. economy is dependent on how well American products sell in foreign nations. Our 247 online support system permits you to keep in touch with us round-the-clock.

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

The Dust Bowl The Most Extremely Horrible Man Made...

The Dust Bowl was the most exceedingly awful man made environmental disaster in American history. The term Dust Bowl was a term instituted by the general population who lived in the dry spell stricken southern Great Plains amid the Great Depression. The Great Plains were opened to cultivating by new gadgets, for example, the steel furrow. The appearance of tractors empowered much more serious cultivating. World War I in particular encouraged agriculturists to build creation. After the War there was dejection in rustic regions notwithstanding during the Roaring 20s. Agriculturists did not, however utilize required soil protection measures. Incomprehensible ranges of area had been changed over to homestead arrive on the Great Plains. This had evacuated the normal vegetation which held the top soil set up. A scope of cultivating practices in this way made ranches on the fields helpless. This and unfavourable climate conditions, amplified dry spell, brought about the catastrophe of the Dust Bowl. The as of now declining markets were exacerbated by the Dust Bowl. Agriculturists literally watched their ranches, the valuable top soil blow away. The Dust Bowl had both common and man-made reasons. The Plains were liable to wide intermittent movements in precipitation. This was not completely comprehended at the time as the time of concentrated development was moderately short. What s more, the reasons for regular precipitation cycles were not comprehended by any stretch of theShow MoreRelatedThe Effects Of Drought And Its Effects On The Environment1934 Words   |  8 Pagesmoved into the 21st century, the condition of global environment is one of the most popular topics, and it created many controversies. Those topics are wide ranged, from the natural disasters like earthquake, tornado or volcano eruption; to the man-made disasters like nuclear war or air / water / sound pollutions. As a student, I too am interested and have some concerns for the planet that we are l iving in. Among the disasters, drought is the one that I want to learn more about it. So what is droughtRead MoreEssay on Fall of Asclepius95354 Words   |  382 Pagesour understanding! Geez, there were many names given to these undead. Some called them demons, others called them lost souls. With all these names, I found only one that was truly worthy; Zombies. It was a simple word. At the same time it was the most complicated word to enter any human language. I mean just think about it... You say that word to anyone before the outbreak and what would they think of? They would, think of those horror movies or comic books where, for no reason what so ever, zombiesRead MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 PagesComing Attractions: Developing an OB Model 23 An Overview 23 †¢ Inputs 24 †¢ Processes 25 †¢ Outcomes 25 Summary and Implications for Managers 30 S A L Self-Assessment Library How Much Do I Know About Organizational Behavior? 4 Myth or Science? â€Å"Most Acts of Workplace Bullying Are Men Attacking Women† 12 An Ethical Choice Can You Learn from Failure? 24 glOBalization! Does National Culture Affect Organizational Practices? 30 Point/Counterpoint Lost in Translation? 31 Questions for Review 32 Experiential

Monday, December 9, 2019

Relationships Between the Work of Deming in Japan

Question: What is the relationships between the work of Deming in Japan and the ideas we were exploring regarding Robert Cole's empowerment principles in the conversation above? Answer: Edwards Deming is an organizational psychologist. The ideas of empowerment are better understand upon examining the employee ownership, involvement, which begin with the philosophy of Deming. Deming was recruited to Japan by American authority in 1947 to prepare a census. Following that, he reconstructed the Japanese economy (Zeleny 2013). Due to Demings influence, Japanese people were taught the statistical and quality control technique. In his Red Bead Experiment Deming taught the importance of a good system and how to design, this theory is still relevant in Japanese corporation (Deming 2013). The major difference of Demings work from Robert Coles work is that Demings theory was based on continuous improvement whereas Coles theory focuses on continuous innovation. References: Deming, W. E. (2013). The essential Deming: leadership principles from the father of quality. Zeleny, M. (2013). W. Edwards Deming.

Sunday, December 1, 2019

Whats Happening Richard Schechner Essay Example

Whats Happening Richard Schechner Paper Whats Happening Richard Schechner?: A Look at Schechners Ideas of the New Theatre Richard Schechner envisions a new theatre in three of his major essays, Happenings (1966), Six Axioms for Environmental Theatre (1968), and Negotiations with the Environment (1968).He does not spend time discussing his famed not not themselves ideology of the performer or ritual ecstasy; instead he discusses a new genealogical hybrid termed the new theatre by Allan Kaprow.Schechner uses the traditional theatre as a comparison andfirst comments in Happenings because it is unlike traditional theatre, the familiar locutions of these arts, e.g., dance, music, sculpture, painting cannot describe whats going on or provide criteria for which to evaluate it (145). Still, Schechner does provide many a comparison between the traditional theatre and this new form. Schechner recognizes that the theatrical event is a complex social interweave, a network of expectation and obligation.The exchange of stimuli-either s ensory or ideational or both-is the root of theatre (158).Knowing this, the author claims all theatre, both traditional and new, is a set of related transactions (changes in outlook and situation).How these transactions occur is what defines the art form.For example the traditional theatre works from an organic system of correlations concerning character, story, and locale.Likewise, Susanne K. Langer states, traditional theatre runs on a continuum of past and future as parts, (147) organic parts developing the situation.It involves a series of understandable transactions.However, the new theatre lacks this destiny of time.There the referents to everyday life are purely functions of sounds, textures, and images (147). Schechner basically break

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

History of Minority Populations in the Child Welfare System Essays

History of Minority Populations in the Child Welfare System Essays History of Minority Populations in the Child Welfare System Kemp S.P., Marcenko M.O., Hoagwood K., Vesneski W. (2009). Engaging parents in child welfare services: bridging family needs and child welfare mandates. Child Welfare, 88(1): 101-26 (85 ref). Retrieved on June18, 2011, from CINAHL database http://ehis.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=042c3596-dde2-40cf-8f04-43ff0060bf3b%40sessionmgr4&vid=1&hid=1 This article relates to the focus of keeping parental engagement and integration for proximal child welfare of well-being, safety, and permanency; along with maintaining the integrity, policy, research and practice of core services through various framework priorities. Practicing child welfare involves helping families through struggles and issues, understanding of cultural factors, effective communication, research and seek necessary solutions for issues, knowledge of policies and practices, avoid negative judgment, and develop cost-effective and typology practical strategies. The article also covers appropriate practices and responsibilities from birth parents, foster parents, case workers, organizations involvement for required child welfare by seeing through difficulties and differences in cultural factors such as colored or immigrant families. In addition, parents can effectively get involved by obtaining necessary training and guidance to overcome issues, along with substance abuse interventions to help balance and develop overall healthy positive mental health and perspectives in their children. Sallee, D., Redican, K., Lawson, G., & Bodenhorn, N. (2009). Parent and Youth Perceptions Regarding Drug Use. Vahperd Journal, 10. Retrieved on June18, 2011, from Academic OneFile database http://find.galegroup.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/gps/retrieve.do?resultListType=RESULT_LIST&contentSet=IAC-Documents&qrySerId=Locale%28en%2C%2C%29%3AFQE%3D%28KE%2CNone%2C47%29Parent+and+Youth+Perceptions+Regarding+Drug+Use%3AAnd%3ALQE%3D%28AC%2CNone%2C8%29fulltext%3AAnd%3ALQE%3D%28RE%2CNone%2C3%29ref%24&inPS=true&sort=DateDescend&tabID=T002&prodId=IPS&searchId=R2&retrieveFormat=PDF¤tPosition=1&userGroupName=uphoenix&docLevel=&docId=A206689472&noOfPages=3 This article expresses the results based on a research study by the Youth Risk Behavior Survey; which reveals the circumstances, health risks, and dangers of drug abuse from children of young ages and how parents overestimated their presumption on the amount of alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana the children were using in a given month. The survey mainly covers the Southwest Virginia community and suggests that drug abuse has posed an unfortunate issue amongst the children ranging from middle school through high school. In addition, the survey also reveals that majority of these students have experimented with alcohol, tobacco, inhalants, prescription/OTC drugs, cocaine, and marijuana at least once. Although some parents have disapproved and consulted with their kids about the risks and dangers involved in using the drugs; problems of drug abuse and over usage continues to raise a significant problem within their community. Recommendations to help aid the situation are educational programs and curricula centers on substance abuse for the parents and children. Waites, C., Macgowan, M. J., Pennell, J., Carlto-Laney, I., & Weil, M. (2004). Increasing the Cultural Responsiveness of Family Group Conferencing. Child Welfare, 49(2), 291-300. Retrieved on June18, 2011, from ProQuest Central database http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/docview/215270572/fulltextPDF/1300B60846451373AEB/2?accountid=35812 This article was constructed based on the Family Group Conferencing (FGC) in North Carolina to help people understand how to achieve cultural guidance and partnership amongst the African American, Latino, and Indians in the communities. Also, FGC additional intentions were to reach out to other communities and inspire more of a cultural diversity statewide to join the fight in supporting child welfare and help families thorough their problems and struggles. In providing bilingual and bicultural staff members, FGC has been effective in sheltering children?s rights, establishing joint problem solving with cultural collaborations, providing cultural strategies for better practices, and improving cultural receptiveness. Not only has this article describes how the program has been successful in connecting and providing unity to the families of all ethnic and cultural backgrounds together; they have also managed to improve multicultural issues and maintain the values and traditions in all cultures within their communities.

Saturday, November 23, 2019

How To Schedule Tweets And Organize Your Social Media Plan

How To Schedule Tweets And Organize Your Social Media Plan Studies suggest its perfectly  acceptable to  tweet up to 15 times a day. Thats 105 tweets  a week! Whether you  plan to send that number of tweets or not, one thing is certain: Twitter is a high-sharing volume network. Your followers expect you to tweet a lot of helpful  content consistently every day. That means scheduling tweets is more important than ever to help you: Queue tweets to automatically post well  into the future. Send tweets at the absolute best times  to reach your followers when theyre most active on Twitter- even when youre busy with other projects and life in general. See every scheduled tweet for all of your Twitter handles  in one place to discover gaps in your posting plan. Thats exactly what youll get when you schedule tweets with , your all-in-one social media editorial calendar. Lets explore. How To Schedule Tweets And Organize Your Social Media Plan Studies suggest its perfectly  acceptable to  tweet up to 15 times a day. Thats 105 tweets  a week! Whether you  plan to send that number of tweets or not, one thing is certain: Twitter is a high-sharing volume network. Your followers expect you to tweet a lot of helpful  content consistently every day. That means scheduling tweets is more important than ever to help you: Queue tweets to automatically post well  into the future. Send tweets at the absolute best times  to reach your followers when theyre most active on Twitter- even when youre busy with other projects and life in general. See every scheduled tweet for all of your Twitter handles  in one place to discover gaps in your posting plan. Thats exactly what youll get when you schedule tweets with , your all-in-one social media editorial calendar. Lets explore.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

International Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

International Management - Essay Example There is no care about privacy in US, people must be informed and given chance to object when their information is sent outside for direct marketing, data cannot be sent outside in Italy, and all direct mails should contain the name and address of the data owner in Spain are some of the best examples for how culture affects internet. Internet affects the culture or social systems more than how culture or social systems affect internet use. It is because; internet has caused drastic changes in society. Online communication such as chatting, emailing and webinars, and other modes of interactions such social media, online sales, advertising and e-marketing have tremendously changes culture and social systems. Traditionally, people went to work. But now, with the advent of internet, work comes to home as millions of people worldwide work from home for making money is a good example for how internet affects culture. As markets become increasingly globalized, it is very important to identify and evaluate operational conflicts between nations, religions, values and cultures. In international business contexts or other relations, there can be some operational conflicts due to differences in perceptions of time, change, individualism and material factors. Americans find time as limited and therefore they keep deadline strictly. They feel frustrated when others in a company fail to meet deadlines. For them time is to be saved and they keep specific schedules for saving time. Perspectives of time are largely affected by the religious and cultural views or values. For instance, Deresky (2011, p.104) stated that Arabs regard ‘deadline’ as a kind of insult in them while it is imposed by others to them whereas Americans take an approach of ‘firm commitment’ to meeting deadlines. Individualism is about ‘I’ consciousness. Americans give greater significance to viewing private lives

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Qualitative Research Paper B Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Qualitative Research Paper B - Essay Example We are surrounded by data everywhere. Our lives are influenced by data pertaining to the things we feel and see, the things we eat, the different things that we think about as also the constitution of our surroundings. Apart from this data that seems to engulf our lives, there is a separate class of data that one obtains as part of the quest to find answers to a specific question. In doing so, the efforts is often left with so much data that it is sometimes hard to ultimately determine the purpose for which the data has been collected let alone think of ways to analyze the collected data. What separates the data from information is the usefulness of the former, where analysis of data helps turn it or its subsequent outcomes into information. It is this information that helps one determine answers to questions and phenomenon that demands a structured effort. A question and its associated material that is being analyzed can be looked at from several perspectives. General forms of data and research analysis have always looked at answering the what, whom and where dimensions of the question and such an approach is hence known as quantitative approach as it tries to analyze quantifiable and measurable parameters. Nevertheless, many questions also arise with respect to why and how things occur. Answering questions determining the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of a phenomenon requires the analysis to take an approach that analyzes the answers across several subjects and disciplines and helps arrive at a thorough understanding. This form of research is trying to ascertain the quality associated with a phenomenon and is hence known as qualitative analysis. Qualitative analysis is a very simple technique at undertaking research and consists of three essential parts. These components that are named noticing, collecting and thinking are highly interactive and follow a

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Analysis Annual Report 2010 Bayer Essay Example for Free

Analysis Annual Report 2010 Bayer Essay Profitability Which indicators have been brought forward in the annual report of the company? Which specific targets are aimed at? How does the group state and assess the evolution of profitability in the annual report? Is there more recent public information about this issue? Where? Is this information in line with the one mentioned in the annual report? Is it indicating a similar evolution? What are the main propositions of the company to improve its profitability? Financing What is the global financing strategy of the group? What is the evolution of the financing cost (several indicators)? What is the shareholders’ remuneration program? What are your sources (of information) regarding this issue? Investments What are the main investment / disinvestment policies? How are these investments financed? What is the outlook of the company regarding this issue? Consolidation process What are the most important consolidated subsidiaries? (Eventually mention the approximate number of subsidiaries)? Are there associated companies? What is the evolution of the income attributable to shareholders (or result part of the group)? What are the comments of the company regarding this issue? What kind of indicators does the company report about shareholder value? Are those indicators compared with other information? International standards Does the group announce the non-publication of some standards? If yes, for which reasons? Among explanatory notes associated with the consolidated accounts, choose one that is relative to a specific standard. For this note, report essential characteristics that highlight the differences in terms of recording and reporting in the relation to Belgian GAAPs. What is the impact of IAS/IFRS referential (if any) on the account that is concerned by this note? Global diagnostic Is there important recent information about this company? Would you invest in this company? Why? Business sector What is the main business of the group? Firstly, we have to know that Bayer was founded in Barmen, Germany in 1963 by Friedrich Bayer and Johann Friedrich Weskott his partner. It is a global and an inventor company with core competencies in the domain of health care, nutrition and high-tech materials. They produce and provide services to benefit people and improve their quality of life. In addition, they seek to create value with the help of innovation, growth and high earning power. For them, sustainability is very important for their social and ethical responsibilities. Its headquarters are in Leverkusen. This is one of the largest phamarceutical companies in the world and has three sebgroups: Bayer CropScience, Bayer HealthCare and Bayer MaterialScience. Led by the management holding company, they also have three services companies which operate independently: Bayer Business Services, Bayer Technology Services and Currenta. Are there other activities, complementary businesses within the group? Bayer CropScience has products in crop protection and nonagricultural pest control. It also has activities in seeds and plant traits. Bayer HealthCare is Bayers pharmaceutical and medical products subgroup. It is involved in the research, development, manufacture and marketing of products. It comprises a further four subdivisions: Bayer Schering Pharma, Bayer Consumer Care, Bayer Animal Health and Bayer Medical Care. Bayer MaterialScience is a supplier of high-tech  ­polymers, and develops solutions for a broad range of applications relevant to everyday life. Bayer Business Services located at the Bayer USA Headquarters in Pennsylvania. It handles the information technology infrastructure and technical support aspect of Bayer Canada and USA. Bayer Technology Services is engaged in process development and in process and plant engineering, construction and optimization. Currenta offers services for the chemical industry, including utility supply, waste management, infrastructure, safety, security, analytics and vocational training. What are the main groups competitors? The main group’s competitors are Merck Co, GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer and Sanofi Aventis. Indeed, GlaxoSmithKline have the second post in the pharmaceuticals world just behind Pfizer. Sanofi Aventis is in fourth place and Merck Co and Bayer share the third place. Which main risks (that are inherent to this business sector) does the company mention? Which hedging policies are put in place? Business operations necessarily involve risks. So according to Bayer, effective management of risks is a key factor in sustainably safeguarding a company’s value. Risks are assessed both qualitatively and quantitatively in determining strategies of the strategic business entities. The risk management system is set on the Group Intranet. Directive published explains the basic principles of this management in accordance with German Law.According to Bayer Group, the definition of the risk is represented by events and possible developments within or outside of the group that would decrease the value of the company. These risks are described as follows: Legal risksBayer Group is exposed to numerous legal risks from legal disputes or proceedings to which they are currently a party †¦ So it is therefore possible that legal or regulatory judgments could significantly affect the revenues and earnings of the company.Industry-specific risksSome governments intervene directly in setting prices and the government reimbursement systems favoring less expensive generic pharmaceuticals over brand-name products, which diminish earnings from Bayer’s pharmaceutical products and could potentially render the market introduction of a new product unprofitable. So if it necessary, Bayer’s Group adjusts his business plans according to the significance of governmental intervention. Sales of the Group are subject to seasonal fluctuations and CropScience business particularly affected by weather conditions. Moreover the early identification of trends in the economic market is important elements of the Bayer’s Group business management. Finally where it appears strategically advantageous they may acquire a company or part of a company and combine it with their existing business. The integration processes associated with their acquisitions are steered by integration teams. Appropriate resources are provided to support the integration processes.Product development risksThe Group’s competitive position, sales and earnings depend significantly on the development of commercially viable new products and technologies’ production. So they therefore devote substantial resources to research and development. Furthermore it is possible that effects of their products may be discovered after regulatory approval or registration. So litigations and associated claims for damages due to negative effects can materially diminish their earnings.Regulatory risksOur life science businesses, in particular are subject to strict regulatory regimes relating to the testing, manufacturing and marketing of many of our products. In some countries regulatory controls have become increasingly demanding like in the USA or in EU. That may increase product development costs. So Projects have been initiated to coordinate the implementation of new regulatory controls and mitigate any negative implications for the business. Patent risksA large proportion of Bayer’s products is protected by patents. When a patent defense is unsuccessful, or if one of our patents expires, our prices are likely to come under pressure because of increased competition from generic products entering the market. The legal department, in conjunction with the relevant functional departments, regularly reviews the patent situation. Potential infringements of Bayer’s patents by other companies are carefully monitored so that legal action can be taken if necessary. Production, procurement market and environmental risksProduction capacities at some of their manufacturing facilities could be adversely affected by, for instance, technical failures, natural disasters †¦ This applies particularly to the biotech products because of the highly complex manufacturing processes. If in such cases they are unable to meet demand they may suffer declines in sales revenues. So they address product and environmental risks by way of suitable quality assurance measures. In addition, they are committed to the international Responsible Care initiative of the chemical industry. IT risksMajor disruptions or failure of global or regional business systems may result in loss of data and impairment of business and production processes. As a consequence technical precautions such as data recovery and continuity plans have been established together with the internal it service provider to address this risk. Risk to pension obligations from capital market developmentsThe Bayer Group has obligations to current and former employees related to pensions and other post-employment benefits. Changes in relevant valuation parameters such as interest rates, mortality and rates of increases in compensation may raise the present value of the pension obligations. This may lead to increased pension costs or diminish stockholders’ equity. Financial risksIn this part we are speaking about the management of financial and commodity price risks. As a global enterprise, Bayer is exposed in the normal course of business to credit risks, liquidity risks and various market price risks that could materially affect its net assets, financial position and results of operations. The various risks associated with financial instruments are outlined below together with the relevant risk management systems. In this risk there is a lot of subcategories: Credit risks: arise from the possibility of the value of receivables or other financial assets being impaired because counterparties cannot meet their payment or other performance obligations. To effectively manage the credit risks from trade receivables, Bayer has put in place a standardized risk management system Credit limits are set for all customers. Finally to minimize credit risks, financial transactions are only conducted with banks and other partners of first-class credit standing in line with predefined exposure limits. Liquidity risks: arise from the possibility of not being able to meet current or future payment obligations because insufficient cash is available. Those problems are centrally managed in the Bayer Group. Sufficient liquid assets are held to meet all of the Group’s payment obligations when they fall due, thereby ensuring solvency at all times. The size of this reserve is regularly reviewed and adjusted as necessary to current conditions. Then credit facilities also exist with banks. Markets risks: relate to the possibility that the fair value or future cash flows of financial instruments may fluctuate due to variations in market prices. Market risks include currency, interest rate and other price risks, especially commodity price risks. Currency risks: since the Bayer Group conducts a significant portion of its operations outside the euro zone, fluctuations in currency exchange rates can materially affect earnings. Currency risks are identified, analyzed and managed centrally and systematically. The scope of hedging is evaluated regularly and defined in a corporate directive. Then a significant proportion of contractual and foreseeable currency risks is hedged, mainly through forward exchange contracts and currency options. Interest rate risks: The Bayer Group’s interest rate risks arise primarily from financial assets and liabilities with maturities exceeding one year. Interest rate risks in the Group are analyzed centrally and managed by the central finance department. This is done in line with the duration set by the Board of Management, which implicitly also includes the ration of fixed-rate to floating-rate debt. Then the duration is subject to regular review. Other price risks (especially price risks): The Bayer Group requires significant quantities of petrochemical feed stocks and energy for its various production processes. The prices of these inputs may fluctuate considerably depending on market conditions. This applies particularly tothe MaterialScience business. They have addressed this risk by concluding long-term contracts with multiple suppliers. The operation of their production facilities requires large amounts of energy, mostly in the form of electricity and steam. To minimize the exposure to energy price fluctuations, they aim for a balanced diversification of fuels for steam production and a mix of external procurement and captive production for power generation. As we can see the overall risk assessment is based on a consolidated view of risk each. There were no risks identified may endanger the existence of the group in 2010. And this is the continuation of the previous year. Profitability Which indicators have been brought forward in the annual report of the company? Which specific targets are aimed at? The profitability of a company makes the relationship between the results obtained by the company and the means used to achieve this result. The result of a business can be estimated thanks to different criterion, such as:Operating income: Which one measures the earnings generated from the production activity of the company? The profit of the year: Which measures the net result of the company, when expenses and benefits have been taken into account? The Value Added: which measures the wealth created thanks to the production function of the company? Similarly, the means used by a business can be measured by:The total of assets: this corresponds to the measurement of assets used by the company to produce. The equity: measurement of all financial resources used to produce starting. Capital stock: it is all the financial resources made available to the company by shareholders. We must not forget that a business can be profitable but still have a lower profitability of its sector. That’s why its profitability should be compared with the one of its main competitors. Thus a possible lack of competitiveness could be detected. There are 3 kind of profitability: Return on business ; Return on assets ; Return on equity. The profitability indicators highlighted by the Bayer Group in its annual report are the following: EBIT (before special items) EBITDA (before special items); Cash flow return on investment ; Earnings per share ; ROE (return on equity); ROA (return on assets). So concerning specific targets we believe that shareholders, investors and potential investors, suppliers and staff are the key audiences that are intended profitability indicators. How does the group state and assess the evolution of profitability in the annual report? Is there more recent public information about this issue? Where? Is this information in line with the one mentioned in the annual report? Is it indicating a similar evolution? The group assesses its profitability by focusing on the various indicators mentioned above. In its annual report, the group highlights a number of indicators of profitability, which are: EBIT EBITDAThese indicators are reported in order to allow a more accurate assessment of business operations. The company considers EBITDA before special items to be a more suitable indicator of operating performance since it is not affected by depreciation, amortization, impairments or special items. By reporting this indicator, the company aims to give readers a clearer picture of the results of operations and ensure greater comparability of data over time. EBIT for 2010 came in at â‚ ¬ 2,730 million whereas it was â‚ ¬ 3,006 million in 2009. This decrease is due to several factors that are: Sales of the Bayer Group rose by 12.6% from the previous year to â‚ ¬35,088 million; in 2009 the amount was â‚ ¬31,168 million, thanks largely to the recovery in the Material Science business. Adjusted for currency and portfolio effects, sales grew by 8.0% ; The cost of goods sold advanced by 13.0% to â‚ ¬17,103 million. This was mainly due to a considerable increase at MaterialScience, which in turn resulted chiefly from the growth in volumes and higher average raw material prices for the year. The ratio of the cost of goods sold to total sales was 48.7%, this ratio increased by 0, 1%, it was 48, 6% in 2009. Selling expenses rose by 11.1% year on year to â‚ ¬8,803million, it was â‚ ¬7,923million in 2009, and were thus equivalent to 25.1% of sales. Health Care accounted for the greater part of the increase. The group raised their research and development expenses in 2010 by a further 11.2%,the amount increased from â‚ ¬2,746million in 2009 to â‚ ¬3,053million in 2010;

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Canadas Immigration From 1852-1990 :: essays research papers

Canada's Immigration From 1852-1990 In 1852 many of Canada's immigrants were from Europe countries but many of these were being lost to the United states. This meant that the province of Canada was mostly French Canadians, this began the immigration promotion program in 1850s. In the 1840s the main problem was lack of control over the immigrants now the problem was getting immigrant particularly British ones to start small farms. Over the next 30 years John A. MacDonald did little to attract new immigrants to Canada. In about 1879 a new immigration law was passed that was designed to keep out paupers and destitutes. This would be the start to "weed out" the people that would live in Canada, and eventually become the laws we have today. In 1885 an act was passed that would restrict Chinese males from immigrating. This was done because of the large amount of young Chinese men that were coming to Canada to work building the CRP ( an estimated 15,701). Without these men most of whom lost their lives from injury or disease. During the 1890s a depression because of the very short growing season and very high cost of shipping the grains. This lack of rain caused many Canadians to immigrate to the U.S. for a better life. Not very attractive to immigrants to Canada. Around the beginning of the 1900s the economy was boosted by the increasing need for Canadian food products. Europe had a large population explosion and tax increase caused more and more to move to Canada. With the construction of the CPR it was much easier to go west and settle the land which was cheap or free. The Canadian government was promoting it's self every where with it's fur and grains to encourage new comers and settlers that moved to the U.S. back to Canada. With the out break of World War I tension was high. This was the lowest amount of people in years (although the amount of Americans was increasing with year of the war). Once desired immigrants were now "enemy aliens". Also people from Germany, Hungry, Poland, Romania, and many others become the objects of hostility. After the war there was a huge boom in immigrants because of Canada's growing economy. But after all booms there is always the come down by 1930 Canada was in a bad depression people were also tense because word of another war. During World War II no Canadians had it worse than the Japanese Canadians. After the booming of Pearl Harbour all Japanese-Canadians were stripped of their homes and property. The Canadian government showed great sympathy for European refugees and homeless.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Mattel Responds to Ethical Challenges Essay

Mattel, Inc. is a global leader in designing and manufacturing toys and family products. Well-known for brands such as Barbie, Fisher-Price, Disney, Hot Wheels, Matchbox, Tyco, Cabbage Patch Kids, and board games, the company boasts nearly $5.9 billion in annual revenue. Headquartered in El Segundo, California, with offices across the world, Mattel markets its products in over 150 nations. It all started in a California garage workshop when Ruth and Elliot Handler and Matt Matson founded Mattel in 1945. The company started out making picture frames, but the founders soon recognized the profitability of the toy industry and switched their emphasis to toys. Mattel became a publicly owned company in 1960, with sales exceeding $100 million by 1965. Over the next forty years, Mattel went on to become the world’s largest toy company in terms of revenue. In spite of its overall success, Mattel has had its share of losses over its history. During the mid to late 1990s, Mattel lost millions to declining sales and bad business acquisitions. In January 1997, Jill Barad took over as Mattel’s CEO. Barad’s management-style was characterized as strict and her tenure at the helm proved challenging for many employees. While Barad had been successful in building the Barbie brand to $2 billion by the end of the 20th century, growth slowed in the early 21st. Declining sales at outlets such as Toys ‘R’ Us marked the start of some difficulties for the retailer, responsibilities for which Barad accepted and resigned in 2000. Robert Eckert replaced Barad as CEO. Aiming to turn things around, Eckert sold unprofitable units and cut hundreds of jobs. In 2000, under Eckert, Mattel was granted the highly sought-after licensing agreement for products related to the Harry Potter series of books and movies. The company continued to flourish and build its reputation, even earning the Corporate Responsibility Award from UNICEF in 2003. Mattel released its first Annual Corporate Responsibility Report the following year. In 2011 Mattel was recognized as one of Fortune magazine’s â€Å"100 Best Companies to Work For† for the fourth consecutive year. MATTEL’S CORE PRODUCTS BARBIE AND AMERICAN GIRL Among its many lines of popular toy products, Mattel is famous for owning top girls’ brands. In 1959, Mattel introduced a product that would change its future forever: the Barbie doll. One of the founders, Ruth Handler, had noticed how her daughter loved playing with paper cutout dolls. She decided to create a doll based on an adult rather than on a baby. Barbie took off to become one of Mattel’s critical product lines and the number one girls’ brand in the world. Since her introduction, Mattel has sold more than 1 billion Barbie dolls in over 150 countries. The Barbie line today This material was developed by Debbie Thorne, John Fraedrich, O.C. Ferrell, and Jennifer Jackson, with the editorial assistance of Jennifer Sawayda under the direction of O.C. Ferrell and Linda Ferrell. It is provided for the Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative at the University of New Mexico and is intended for classroom discussion rather than to illustrate effective or ineffective handling of administrative, ethical, or legal decisions by management. Users of this material are prohibited from claiming this material as their own, emailing it to others, or placing it on the Internet. Please call O.C. Ferrell at 505-277-3468 for more information. (2011) Includes dolls, accessories, Barbie software, and a broad assortment of licensed products such as books, apparel, food, home furnishings, home electronics, and movies. To supplement the Barbie line, in 1998 Mattel acquired a popular younger type of doll. Mattel announced it would pay $700 million to Pleasant Co. for its high-end American Girl collection. American Girl dolls are sold with books about their lives, which take place during important periods of US history. The American Girls brand includes several book series, accessories, clothing for dolls and girls, and a magazine that ranks in the top ten American children’s magazines. HOT WHEELS Hot Wheels roared into the toy world in 1968. More than thirty years later, the brand is hotter than ever and includes high-end collectibles, NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) and Formula One models for adults, high-performance cars, track sets, and play sets for children of all ages. The brand is connected with racing circuits worldwide. More than 15 million boys aged five to 15 are avid collectors, each owning forty-one cars on average. Two Hot Wheels cars are sold every second of every day. The brand began with cars designed to run on a track and has evolved into a â€Å"lifestyle† brand with licensed Hot Wheels shirts, caps, lunch boxes, backpacks, and more. Together, Hot Wheels and Barbie generate 45 percent of Mattel’s revenue and 65 percent of its profits. CABBAGE PATCH KIDS Since the introduction of mass-produced Cabbage Patch Kids in 1982, more than 90 million dolls have been sold worldwide. In 1994, Mattel took over selling these beloved dolls after purchasing production rights from Hasbro. In 1996, Mattel created a new line of Cabbage Patch doll, called Snacktime Kids, which was expected to meet with immense success. The Snacktime Kids had moving mouths that enabled children to â€Å"feed† them plastic snacks. However, the product backfired. The toy had no on/off switch and reports of children  getting their fingers or hair caught in the dolls’ mouths surfaced during the 1996 holiday season. Mattel voluntarily pulled the dolls from store shelves by January 1997, and offered consumers a cash refund of $40 on returned dolls. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission applauded Mattel’s handling of the Snacktime Kids situation. Mattel effectively managed a situation that could easily have created bad publicity or a crisis situati on. Mattel stopped producing Cabbage Patch Kids in 2000. MATTEL’S COMMITMENT TO ETHICS AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY Mattel’s core products and business environment create many ethical issues. Because the company’s products are designed primarily for children, it must be sensitive to social concerns about children’s rights. It must also be aware that the international environment often complicates business transactions. Different legal systems and cultural expectations about business can create ethical conflicts. Finally, the use of technology may present ethical dilemmas, especially regarding consumer privacy. Mattel has recognized these potential issues and taken steps to strengthen its commitment to business ethics. The company also purports to take a stand on social responsibility, encouraging its employees and consumers to do the same. PRIVACY AND MARKETING TECHNOLOGY One issue Mattel has tried to address repeatedly is that of privacy and online technology. Advances in technology have created special marketing issues for Mattel. The company recognizes that, because it markets to children, it must communicate with parents regarding its corporate marketing strategy. Mattel has taken steps to inform both children and adults about its philosophy regarding Internet-based marketing tools, such as the Hot Wheels website. This website contains a lengthy online privacy policy, part of which is excerpted below: Mattel, Inc. and its family of companies (â€Å"Mattel†) are committed to  protecting your online privacy when visiting a website operated by us. We do not collect and keep any personal information online from you unless you volunteer it and you are 13 or older. We also do not collect and keep personal information online from children under the age of 13 without consent of a parent or legal guardian, except in limited circumstances authorized by law and described in this policy. By assuring parents that their children’s privacy will be respected, Mattel demonstrates that it takes its responsibility of marketing to children seriously. EXPECTATIONS OF MATTEL’S BUSINESS PARTNERS Mattel, Inc. is also making a serious commitment to business ethics in its dealings with other industries. In late 1997, the company completed its first full ethics audit of each of its manufacturing sites as well as the facilities of its primary contractors. The audit revealed that the company was not using any child labor or forced labor, a problem plaguing other overseas manufacturers. However, several contractors were found to be in violation of Mattel’s safety and human rights standards and were asked to change their operations or risk losing Mattel’s business. The company now conducts an independent monitoring council audit in manufacturing facilities every three years. In an effort to continue its strong record on human rights and related ethical standards, Mattel instituted a code of conduct entitled Global Manufacturing Principles in 1997. One of these principles requires all Mattel-owned and contracted manufacturing facilities to favor business partners committed to ethical standards comparable with those of Mattel. Other principles relate to safety, wages, and adherence to local laws. Mattel’s audits and subsequent code of conduct were designed as preventative, not punitive measures. The company is dedicated to creating and encouraging responsible business practices throughout the world. 1 Mattel, Inc., Online Privacy Policy, http://www.hotwheels.com/privacy-policy (accessed August 23, 2011). Mattel also claims to be committed to its workforce. As one company consultant noted, â€Å"Mattel is committed to improving the skill level of workers†¦ [so that they] will experience increased opportunities and productivity.† This statement reflects Mattel’s concern for relationships between and with employees and business partners. The company’s code is a signal to potential partners, customers, and other stakeholders that Mattel has made a commitment to fostering and upholding ethical values. LEGAL AND ETHICAL BUSINESS PRACTICES Mattel prefers to partner with businesses similarly committed to high ethical standards. At a minimum, partners must comply with the local and national laws of the countries in which they operate. In addition, all partners must respect the intellectual property of the company, and support Mattel in the protection of assets such as patents, trademarks, or copyrights. They are also responsible for product safety and quality, protecting the environment, customs, evaluation and monitoring, and compliance. Mattel’s business partners must have high standards for product safety and quality, adhering to practices that meet Mattel’s safety and quality standards. In recent years, however, safety standards have been seriously violated, which will be discussed in more detail later. Also, because of the global nature of Mattel’s business and its history of leadership in this area, the company insists that business partners strictly adhere to local and international customs laws. Partners must also comply with all import and export regulations. To assist in compliance with standards, Mattel insists that all manufacturing facilities provide the following: 1 Full access for on-site inspections by Mattel or parties designated by Mattel 2 Full access to those records that will enable Mattel to determine compliance with its principles 3 An annual statement of compliance with Mattel’s Global Manufacturing Principles, signed by an officer of the manufacturer or manufacturing facility2 With the creation of the Mattel Independent Monitoring Council (MIMCO), Mattel became the first global consumer products company to apply such a system to facilities and core contractors worldwide. The company seeks to maintain an independent monitoring system that provides checks and balances to help ensure that standards are met. If certain aspects of Mattel’s manufacturing Principles are not being met, Mattel will try to work with them to help them fix their problems. New partners will not be hired unless they meet Mattel’s standards. If corrective action is advised but not taken, Mattel will terminate its relationship with the partner in question. Overall, Mattel is committed to both business success and ethical standards, and it recognizes that it is part of a continuous improvement process. 2 â€Å"Mattel’s Commitment to Ethics,† eBusiness Ethics, http://www.e-businessethics.com/mattel9.htm (accessed August 23, 2011). MATTEL CHILDREN’S FOUNDATION Mattel takes its social responsibilities very seriously. Through the Mattel Children’s Foundation, established in 1978, the company promotes philanthropy and community involvement among its employees and makes charitable investments to better the lives of children in need. Funding priorities have included building a new Mattel Children’s Hospital at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), sustaining the Mattel Family Learning Program, and promoting giving among Mattel employees. In November 1998, Mattel donated a multiyear, $25 million gift to the UCLA Children’s Hospital. The gift was meant to support the existing hospital and provide for a new state-of-the-art facility. In honor of Mattel’s donation, the hospital was renamed Mattel Children’s Hospital at UCLA. The Mattel Family Learning Program utilizes computer learning labs as a way to advance children’s basic skills. Now numbering more than eighty throughout the United States, Hong Kong, Canada, and Mexico, the labs offer software and technology designed to help children with special needs or limited English proficiency. Mattel employees are also encouraged to participate in a wide range of volunteer activities as part of â€Å"Mattel Volunteers: Happy to Help.† Employees serving on boards of local nonprofit organizations or helping with ongoing nonprofit programs are eligible to apply for volunteer grants supporting their organizations. Mattel employees contributing to higher education or to nonprofit organizations serving children in need are eligible to have their personal donations matched dollar for dollar up to $5,000 annually. INTERNATIONAL MANUFACTURING PRINCIPLES As a U.S.-based multinational company owning and operating facilities and contracting worldwide, Mattel’s Global Manufacturing Principles reflect not only its need to conduct manufacturing responsibly, but to respect the cultural, ethical, and philosophical differences of the countries in which it operates. These Principles set uniform standards across Mattel manufacturers and attempt to benefit both employees and consumers. Mattel’s Principles cover issues such as wages, work hours, child labor, forced labor, discrimination, freedom of association, and working conditions. Workers must be paid at least minimum wage or a wage that meets  local industry standards (whichever is greater). No one under the age of 16 or the local age limit (whichever is higher) may be allowed to work for Mattel facilities. Mattel refuses to work with facilities that use forced or prison labor, or to use these types of labor itself. Additionally, Mattel does not tolerate discrimination. The company states that an individual should be hired and employed based on his or her ability—not on individual characteristics or beliefs. Mattel recognizes all employees’ rights to choose to associate with organizations or associations without interference. Regarding working conditions, all Mattel facilities and its business partners must provide safe working environments for their employees. ISSUES WITH OVERSEAS MANUFACTURING Despite Mattel’s best efforts, not all overseas manufacturers have faithfully adhered to its high standards. Mattel has come under scrutiny over its sale of unsafe products. In September 2007, Mattel announced recalls of toys containing lead paint. The problem surfaced when a European retailer discovered lead paint on a toy. An estimated 10 million individual toys produced in China were affected. Mattel quickly stopped production at Lee Der, the company officially producing the recalled toys, after it was discovered that Lee Der had purchased lead-tainted paint to be used on the toys. Mattel blamed the fiasco on the manufacturers’ desire to save money in the face of increasing prices. â€Å"In the last three or five years, you’ve seen labor prices more than double, raw material prices double or triple,† CEO Eckert said in an interview, â€Å"and I think that there’s a lot of pressure on guys that are working at the margin to try to save money. The situation began when Early Light Industrial Co., a subcontractor for Mattel owned by Hong Kong toy tycoon Choi Chee Ming, subcontracted the painting of parts of CARS toys to another China-based vendor. The vendor, named Hong Li Da, decided to source paint from a non-authorized third-party supplier—a violation of Mattel’s requirement to use paint supplied directly by Early Light. The products were found to contain â€Å"impermissible levels of lead.† On August 2, 2007, it was announced that another of Early Light’s subcontractors, Lee Der Industrial Co., used the same lead paint found on Cars products. China immediately suspended the company’s export license. Afterward, Mattel pinpointed three paint suppliers working for Lee Der—Dongxin, Zhongxin, and Mingdai. This paint was used by Lee Der to produce Mattel’s line of Fisher-Price products. It is said that Lee Der purchased the paint from Mingdai due to an intimate friendship between the two company’s owners. On August 11, 2007, Zhang Shuhong, operator of Lee Der, hung himself after paying his 5,000 staff members. Later that month, Mattel was forced to recall several more toys because of powerful magnets in the toys that could come loose and pose a choking hazard for young children. If more than one magnet is swallowed, the magnets can attract each other inside the child’s stomach, causing potentially fatal complications. Over 21 million Mattel toys were recalled in all, and parents filed several lawsuits claiming that these Mattel products harmed their children. At first, Mattel blamed Chinese subcontractors for the huge toys recalls, but the company later accepted a portion of the blame for its troubles, while maintaining that Chinese manufacturers were largely at fault. The Chinese view the situation quite differently. As reported by the state-run Xinhua news agency, the spokesman for China’s General Administration of Quality Supervision and Inspection and Quarantine said, â€Å"Mattel should improve its product design and supervision over product quality. Chinese original equipment manufacturers were doing the job just as importers requested, and the toys conformed to the U.S. regulations and standards at the time of the production.† Mattel also faced criticism from many of its consumers, who believed Mattel was denying culpability by placing much of the blame on China. Mattel was later awarded the 2007 â€Å"Bad Product† Award by Consumers International. How did this crisis occur under the watch of a company praised for its ethics and high safety standards? Although Mattel had investigated its contractors, it did not audit the entire supply chain, including subcontractors. These  oversights left room for these violations to occur. Mattel has also moved to enforce a rule that subcontractors cannot hire suppliers two or three tiers down. In a statement, Mattel says it has spent more than 50,000 hours investigating its vendors and testing its toys. Mattel also announced a three-point plan. This plan aims to tighten Mattel’s control of production, discover and prevent the unauthorized use of subcontractors, and test the products itself rather than depending on contractors. THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT’S REACTION Chinese officials eventually did admit the government’s failure to properly protect the public. The Chinese government promised to tighten supervision of exported products, but effective supervision is challenging in such a large country that is so burdened with corruption. In January 2008, the Chinese government launched a four-month-long nationwide product quality campaign, offering intensive training courses to domestic toy manufacturers to help them brush up on their knowledge of international product standards and safety awareness. As a result of the crackdown, the State Administration for Quality Supervision and Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) announced that it had revoked the licenses of more than 600 Chinese toy makers. As of 2008, the State Administration for Commerce and Industry (SACI) released a report claiming that 87.5 percent of China’s newly manufactured toys met quality requirements. While this represents an improvement, the temptation to cut corners remains strong in a country that uses price, not quality, as its main competitive advantage. Where there is demand, there will be people trying to turn a quick profit. MATTEL VERSUS FORMER EMPLOYEE AND MGA In 2004, Mattel became embroiled in a bitter intellectual property rights battle with former employee Carter Bryant and MGA Entertainment Inc. over rights to MGA’s popular Bratz dolls. Carter Bryant, an on-again/off-again Mattel employee, designed the Bratz dolls and pitched them to MGA. A few months after the pitch, Bryant left  Mattel to work at MGA, which began producing Bratz in 2001. In 2002, Mattel launched an investigation into whether Bryant had designed the Bratz dolls while employed with Mattel. After two years of investigation, Mattel sued Bryant. A year later MGA fired off a suit of its own, claiming that Mattel was creating Barbies with looks similar to those of Bratz in an effort to eliminate the competition. Mattel answered by expanding its own suit to include MGA and its CEO, Isaac Larian. For decades, Barbie has reigned supreme on the doll market. However, Bratz dolls have given Barbie a run for her money. In 2005, four years after the brand’s debut, Bratz sales were at $2 billion. At the same time, Barbie was suffering from declining sales. In 2008 Barbie’s gross sales fell by 6 percent. Many analysts believe that Barbie has reached the maturity stage of its product life cycle. Four years after the initial suit was filed, Bryant settled with Mattel under an undisclosed set of terms. In July 2008, a jury deemed MGA and its CEO liable for what it termed â€Å"intentional interference† regarding Bryant’s contract with Mattel. In August 2008, Mattel received damages in the range of $100 million. Although Mattel first requested damages of $1.8 billion, the company is pleased with the principle behind the victory. In December 2008, Mattel appeared to win another victory when a California judge banned MGA from issuing or selling any more Bratz dolls. However, the tide soon turned on Mattel’s victory. In July 2010, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals threw out the ruling. Eventually, the case came down to whether Mattel owned Bryant’s ideas under the contract he had with the comapny. In April 2011, a California federal jury rejected Mattel’s claims to ownership. In another blow to Mattel, the jury also ruled that the company had stolen trade secrets from MGA. According to the allegations, Mattel employees used fake business cards to get into MGA showrooms during toy fairs. Mattel was ordered to pay $85 million in liabilities, plus an additional $225 million in damages and legal fees. MGA CEO Isaac Larian has  also announced that he will file an antitrust case against Mattel. Mattel continues to claim that Bryant violated his contract when he was working for the company . MATTEL LOOKS TOWARD THE FUTURE Like all major companies, Mattel has weathered its share of storms. The company has faced a series of difficult and potentially crippling challenges, including the recent verdict against the company in the Bratz lawsuit. During the wave of toy recalls, some analysts suggested that the company’s reputation was battered beyond repair. Mattel, however, has refused to go quietly. Although the company admits to poorly handling recent affairs, it is attempting to rectify its mistakes and to prevent future mistakes as well. With the economic future of the United States uncertain, Mattel may be in for slow growth for some time to come. Mattel is hard at work restoring goodwill and faith in its brands, even as it continues to be plagued with residual distrust over the lead paint scandal and its alleged theft of trade secrets. Reputations are hard won and easily lost, but Mattel appears to be steadfast in its commitment to restoring its reputation. QUESTIONS 1. Do manufacturers of products for children have special obligations to consumers and society? If so, what are these responsibilities? 2. How effective has Mattel been at encouraging ethical and legal conduct by its manufacturers? What changes and additions would you make to the company’s Global Manufacturing Principles? 3. To what extent is Mattel responsible for issues related to its production of toys in China? How might Mattel have avoided these issues? 9 Sources: Lisa Bannon and Carlta Vitzhum, â€Å"One-Toy-Fits-All: How Industry Learned to Love the Global Kid,† Wall Street Journal, Apr. 30, 2003, http://online.wsj.com. Adam Bryant, â€Å"Mattel CEO Jill Barad and a Toyshop That Doesn’t Forget to Play,† New York Times, Oct. 11, 1998. Bill Duryea, â€Å"Barbie-holics: They’re Devoted to the Doll,† St. Petersburg Times, Aug. 7, 1998. Rachel Engers, â€Å"Mattel Board Members Buy $30 Million in Stock: Insider Focus,† Bloomberg.com, Dec. 22, 2000. Mattel, Inc., Hot Wheels web site, http://www.hotwheels.com. â€Å"Independent Monitoring Council Completes Audits of Mattel Manufacturing Facilities in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand,† Mattel, press release, Nov. 15, 2002, www.shareholder.com/mattel/news/20021115-95295.cfm. â€Å"Investors and Media,† â€Å"Mattel Children’s Foundation,† and â€Å"Mattel Independent Monitoring Council,† Mattel, http://www.mattel.com/about_us (all accessed Apr. 30, 2003). â€Å"Mattel and U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Announce Voluntary Refund Program for Cabbage Patch Kids Snacktime Kids Dolls,† U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Office of Information and Public Affairs, Release No. 97-055, Jan. 6, 1997. â€Å"Mattel, Inc., Launches Global Code of Conduct Intended to Improve Workplace, Workers’ Standard of Living,† Canada NewsWire, Nov. 21, 1997. â€Å"Mattel, Inc., Online Privacy Policy,† Mattel http://www.hotwheels.com/policy.asp (accessed Apr. 30, 2003). Marla Matzer, â€Å"Deals on Hot Wheels,† Los Angeles Times, Jul. 22, 1998. Patricia Sellers, â€Å"The 50 Most Powerful Women in American Business,† Fortune, Oct. 12, 1998. â€Å"Toymaker Mattel Bans Child Labor,† Denver Post, Nov. 21, 1998. Michael White, â€Å"Barbie Will Lose Some Curves When Mattel Modernizes Icon,† Detroit News, Nov. 18, 1997. Laura S. Spark, â€Å"Chinese Product Scares Prompt US Fears.† BBC News. July 10 2007, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6275758.stm (accessed May 8, 2009). Benjamin B. Olshin, â€Å"China, Culture, and Product Recalls.† S2R. August 20, 2007, http://www.s2r.biz/s2rpapers/papers- Chinese_Product.pdf (accessed April 5, 2008). â€Å"Mattel Recalls Batmanâ„ ¢ and One Pieceâ„ ¢ Magnetic Action Figure Sets.† CPSC. 14 Aug. 2007, http://service.mattel.com/us/recall/J1944CPSC.pdf. Parker. â€Å"Magnetic Toy Sets† (accessed May 8, 2009). â€Å"Product Recall.† Mattel Consumer Service. 1 Apr. 2008 http://service.mattel.com/us/recall.asp. David Barboza and Louise Story. â€Å"Toymaking in China, Mattel’S Way.† New York Times. July 26, 2007, http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/26/business/26toy.html?pagewanted=1&_r=3&hp (accessed May 10, 2009). Shu-Ching Chen, â€Å"A Blow to Hong Kong’s Toy King.† Forbes.Com. August 15, 2007, http://www.forbes.com/2007/08/15/mattel-china- choi-face-markets-cx_jc_0815autofacescan01.html (accessed May 10, 2009). David Barboza, â€Å"Scandal and Suicide in China: a Dark Side of Toys.† Iht.Com. August 23, 2007, http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/08/23/business/23suicide.php?page=1 (May 10, 2009). â€Å"The United States Has Not Restricted Imports Under the China Safeguard.† United States Government Accountability Office. Sept. 2005, http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d051056.pdf (May 10, 2009). Jack A. Raisner, â€Å"Using the â€Å"Ethical Environment†Paradigm to Teach Business Ethics:the Case of the Maquiladoras.† Journal of Business Ethics. 1997, http://www.springerlink.com/content/nv62636101163v07/fulltext.pdf (May 10, 2008). â€Å"Mattel awarded $100M in doll lawsuit,† USA Today, August 27, 2008, pg. B-1. Nicholas Casey, â€Å"Mattel Prevails Over MGA in Bratz-Doll Trial,† The Wall Street Journal, July 18, 2008, pp. B-18-B-19. Nicholas Casey, â€Å"Mattel to Get Up to $100 Million in Bratz Case,† The Wall Street Journal, August 27, 2008, http://online.wsj.com/article_print/SB121978263398273857.html (accessed 28 Aug. 2008). American Girl, http://www.americangirl.com (accessed 14 Sept. 2008). â€Å"Barbie,† http://www.mattel.com, http://www.mattel.com/our_toys/ot_barb.asp (accessed 14 Sept. 2008). Mattel Annual Report 2008, http://www.shareholder.com/mattel/downloads/2007AR.pdf (accessed 14 Sept. 2008). â€Å"Mattel History,† http://www.mattel.com/about_us/history/default.asp?f=true (accessed 3 Dec. 2008). â€Å"Learning from Mattel,† Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, http://mba.tuck.dartmouth.edu/pdf/2002-1-0072.pdf (accessed 3 Dec. 2008). â€Å"Mattel to Sell Learning Company,† Direct, 2 Oct. 2000, http://directmag.com/news/marketing_mattel_sell_learning/ (accessed 3 Dec. 2008). Miranda Hitti, â€Å"9 Million Mattel Toys Recalled,† WebMD, 14 Aug. 2007, http://children.webmd.com/news/20070814/9_million_mattel_toys_recalled, (accessed 3 Dec. 2008). â€Å"Third toy recall by Mattel in five weeks,† Business Standard, 6 Sept. 2006, http://www.business-standard.com/india/storypage.php?autono=297057, (accessed 3 Dec. 2008). â€Å"International Bad Product Awards 2007,† Consumers International, http://www.consumersinternational.org/Shared_ASP_Files/UploadedFiles/527739D3-1D7B-47AF-B85C-6FD25779149B_InternationalBadProductsAwards-pressbriefing.pdf (accessed 3 Dec. 2008). Gina Keating, â€Å"MGA ‘still accessing’ impact of Bratz ruling: CEO,† Yahoo! News, 4 Dec. 2008, http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081205/bs_nm/us_mattel_larian_1 (accessed 5 Dec. 2008). â€Å"Bratz loses battle of the dolls,† BBC News, 5 Dec. 2008, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7767270.stm (accessed 5 Dec. 2008). â€Å"100 Best Companies to Work For,† CNNMoney, http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/bestcompanies/2011/full_list/ (accessed 23, Aug. 2011). Andrea Chang, â€Å"Mattel must pay MGA $310 million in Bratz case,† Los Angeles Times, 5 Aug. 2011, http://articles.latimes.com/2011/aug/05/business/la-fi-mattel-bratz-20110805 (accessed 23 Aug. 2011). Ann Zimmerman, â€Å"Mattel Loses in Bratz Spat,† The Wall Street Journal, 22 April 2011, http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703983704576276984087591872.html (accessed 23 Aug. 2011). â€Å"Income Statement: Mattel Inc. (MAT),† Yahoo! Finance, http://finance.yahoo.com/q/is?s=MAT+Income+Statement&annual (accessed 23 Aug. 2011).

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Characteristics seen in Hamlet throughout the play Essay

I have been studying the text of Hamlet and the following characteristics are what he shows throughout the play. We see that Hamlet can be ‘Nationalist’. He is being nationalist when he is criticising Denmark and says it is a drinking country which is saying he does not trust them much. He is also like this when he says that Norway is robbing the land from Denmark, so this is then proving that Claudius is weak and so they might as well lose all their land. Hamlet is being very nationalist, when he says that Denmark is like a prison. This means that he feels as if he has no freedom to do what you want to do. Hamlet can be loving towards his friends and family easily, except to his uncle. He can be loving in a friendly way towards Horatio. He shows love towards his mother all throughout the play. He is being loving because he does not want his mother to flirt and have sex with his uncle so close after his father’s death. Hamlet says he is disgraced and when he confronts his mother in her bedroom, he asks her questions about his uncle. He then sees movements behind the curtains and thinks that it is his uncle who is too scared to face him, and so he draws his sword and stabs the person behind the curtain only to find out that it was Ophelia’s father (Polonius). He then plays around with his uncle and he acts as if he is mad and he will not tell him where the body is. I think Hamlet killed the person behind the curtain because he thought it was time to get revenge for his father, by killing his uncle. So this was the right thing to do, but only if he definitely knew who was behind the curtain in his mother’s bedroom. He is seriously in love with Ophelia, and both she and Hamlet admit their love for each other. Hamlet expresses his love for Ophelia on page 187 Act 5 Scene 1: â€Å"Forty thousand brothers Could not with all their quantity of love make up my sum. † Earlier on in the play, Hamlet shows his love for Ophelia his girlfriend. The second time he expresses his love for her was at her funeral. This was in front of everyone and then a fight ensued between Hamlet and Laertes. Ophelia shows her love for Hamlet on page 84(Act 1 Scene 3). She also tells everyone that Hamlet has said he loves her. Hamlet is very religious and he goes to a Protestant school in Wittenberg, but on the other hand he is a Catholic because when he is going to kill his uncle in a religious place he realises he will go to heaven. This was on page 144. Act 3 Scene 3: â€Å"Now might I do it pat, now ‘a is a-praying†¦ I, his sole son, do this same villain send To Heaven†¦ † We see that when Hamlet finds the ghost he is very shocked by it and yet he still does what it says. He tells his friends that it is real and to believe in it, which also proves he is religious. Throughout the play, he uses two different religions, which are found to be; Protestant and Catholic. Hamlet can be very sarcastic and intelligent in the play especially when Polonius asks him what he is reading, and he replies with â€Å"Words! † This then leads Polonius to start quizzing Hamlet on ting about him and Ophelia. Therefore, the answers that Hamlet gives Polonius he then goes and tells them to King. Due to the answers, that Hamlet has given leads to Polonius to say it proves that Hamlet is mad. So the King and Polonius set up a trap for Hamlet to fall into by getting Ophelia to ask Hamlet questions, but Hamlet plays smart and so he gives weird answers which leads people to think he is mad and then he uses it against his uncle at the end of the play. Hamlet is also intelligent when he is being sent to England by boat because he reads the Kings notes on what they have to do to him and then he changes the notes to what he wants them to say, so this is Hamlet playing smart. He then seals the envelopes, by using his ring to put an indent into the wax on the page so it looks as if it was from the King. The page where he finds out about the letter was; Page 153 Act 3 scene 4: â€Å"There’s letters sealed†¦ Let it work. † At this time, he was talking to his mother. Hamlet is also intelligent when he gets the actors to act out the death of his father. By doing this he can find out if his uncle is guilty or innocent. By doing this and constantly taking to the King, he is using his educated mind to find out the truth. Therefore, throughout this play we see that Hamlet can use a lot of emotions and characteristics. When Hamlet uses them, they are used with power and forcefully to make an effect on who ever he is talking to. He makes an impact most of the time except from when everyone thinks he is mad they just think that he is talking rubbish. His intelligence brings out the best in him especially when he gets the play put on for his uncle. So in my opinion Hamlet is smart and very intelligent.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Essay on Hist Part B Plan

Essay on Hist Part B Plan Essay on Hist Part B Plan history plan b plan TURNING POINT 1789. "[It is necessary to] reduce, if not destroy, the tendency of Jewish people to practice a very great number of activities that are harmful to civilisation and to public order in society in all the countries of the world. It is necessary to stop the harm by preventing it; to prevent it it is necessary to change the Jews. [...] Once part of their youth will take its place in our armies, they will cease to have Jewish interests and sentiments; their interests and sentiments will be French." this shows how he wanted nationality to become forthright to religion making antisemitism effectively impossible as it implys that the jews are not a race. TURNING POINT 1808 jews emancipated as a religious group- stems from the declaration of man and citizen 1840 damascus affair. 2 jews blamed for muder of a friar and his assistant, beleved to have stole his blood. point to the fact how officals so ready beleved the rumours and supustition escalating into torture and the kidnaping of children to be held at ransom so their mothers would "tell them the hideing place of the blood" mention how the jews where used so easly as a scapegoat by figures of autority and how barbaric efforts people used to pursicute them ironicly using monsterus methods they would accosiate with jews TURNING POINT 1892 Panama scandal could be argued that this stems from the belef that the jews are controlling the world as "puppeterrs" thus inciting violence towards the jews would seam logical. its could be seen as a cause towards the creation of The Protocols of the Meetings of the Learned Elders of Zion TURNING POINT 1903 The Protocols of the Meetings of the Learned Elders of Zion sparked huge levels of violence against jews for example assassins of German Jewish politician Walter Rathenau (1867–1922) were convinced that Rathenau was a literal "Elder of Zion". showing how rumours where to be belived without rational thought. link back to the damascus affair 1903–1906 this could also be the cause a wave of pogroms in russia"The anti-Jewish riots in Kishinev, Bessarabia [modern Moldova], are worse than the censor will permit to publish. There was a well laid-out plan for the general massacre of Jews on the day following the Orthodox Easter. The mob was led by priests, and the general cry, "Kill the Jews," was taken up all over the city. The Jews were taken wholly unaware and were slaughtered like sheep. The dead number 120 [Note: the actual number of dead was 47–48[10]] and the injured about 500. The scenes of horror attending this massacre are beyond description . Babies were literally torn to pieces by the frenzied and bloodthirsty mob. The local police made no attempt to check the reign of terror. At sunset the streets were piled

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Scelidosaurus - Facts and Figures

Scelidosaurus - Facts and Figures Name: Scelidosaurus (Greek for rib of beef lizard); pronounced SKEH-lih-doe-SORE-us Habitat: Woodlands of western Europe and southern North America Historical Period: Early Jurassic (208-195 million years ago) Size and Weight: About 11 feet long and 500 pounds Diet: Plants Distinguishing Characteristics: Bony plates and spines on back; quadrupedal posture; horny beak About Scelidosaurus As dinosaurs go, Scelidosaurus has a fairly deep provenance, popping up in the fossil record at the start of the Jurassic period, 208 million years ago, and persisting for the next 10 or 15 million years. In fact, this plant-eater was so basal in its features that paleontologists speculate it may have given rise to the family of dinosaurs, the thyreophorans, or armor-bearers, that included both the ankylosaurs (typified by Ankylosaurus) and stegosaurs (typified by Stegosaurus) of the later Mesozoic Era. Certainly, Scelidosaurus was a well-armored beast, with three rows of bony scutes embedded in its skin and tough, knobby growths on its skull and tail. Whatever its place on the thyreophoran family tree, Scelidosaurus was also one of the first ornithischian (bird-hipped) dinosaurs, a family that included pretty much all of the highly specialized, herbivorous dinosaurs of the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, with the exception of sauropods and titanosaurs. Some ornithischians were bipedal, some were quadrupedal, and some were capable of walking on both two and four legs; although its hind limbs were longer than its forelimbs, paleontologists speculate that Scelidosaurus was a devoted quadruped. Scelidosaurus has a complicated fossil history. The type specimen of this dinosaur was discovered in Lyme Regis, England, in the 1850s, and forwarded to the famous naturalist Richard Owen, who accidentally erected the genus name Scelidosaurus (rib of beef lizard) instead of the Greek construction he intended (lower hind limb lizard). Perhaps embarrassed by his mistake, Owen promptly forgot all about Scelidosaurus, even though its quadrupedal posture would otherwise have confirmed his early theories about dinosaurs. It was up to Richard Lydekker, a generation later, to pick up the Scelidosaurus baton, but this eminent scientist committed his own blunder, mixing up the bones of an additional fossil specimens with those of an unidentified theropod, or meat-eating dinosaur!

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Concept Paper- Research Method, Measurement, and Summary sections Assignment

Concept Paper- Research Method, Measurement, and Summary sections - Assignment Example This has been attributed to societal aspects that predispose men to solicit for sex justifiably. In an effort to curb and eliminate sex trafficking, demand for services accrued from exploitation of sex trafficking victims has been identified as crucial point of focus for mitigation and intervention strategies. The reason for this is previous and current strategies directed at combating sex trafficking, which proved to have been one sided. The point is major intervention strategies have been directed at the supply side of sex trafficking, which leaves a gap in knowledge and data regarding aspects that drive sex trafficking on the demand side. This paper is aimed at highlighting the proposed research methods that reflect an applied study goal and demonstrate validity within the context of the chosen research design and overall scientific rigor. The research methods used within the framework of this study require a multi-faceted approach to facilitate the comprehensive gathering of data that is relevant and significant to demand reduction in sex trafficking. This requires research of the demand for sex trafficking to take on a mixed approach when applying methodology and intervention strategies. ... The research methods should also guarantee the validity of research study, which involves the correspondence between the measure and the thought or concept it is meant to measure (Moustakas, 2001). According to Moustakas (2001), comparability of the research study’s results and data should guarantee their external validity. Qualitative research methods facilitate the uncovering of intricate aspects of people’s experiences with sex trafficking. In particular, this method can be used to acquire data on the specific factors that determine and influence demand for sex trafficking (Bernstein, 2001). Qualitative research methods are ideal in uncovering societal factors that justify men’s foray into the world of sex trafficking, where they serve as the primary drive of the demand for sex trafficking. The stereotypes established in society that justify men’s foray and soliciting for commercial sex services can be evaluated and investigated through qualitative rese arch methods (Bernstein, 2001). Quantitative research methods enable the analysis and measurement of data (Moustakas, 2001). It makes it possible for researchers to separately evaluate independent and dependent variables in detail being applicable in hypothesis applied within the framework of experiments. Research into ending demand for sex trafficking should take into account that evaluation and investigations involve hidden portions of the population. Thus, research methodologies applied should be designed to address these circumstances and anticipate challenges that are going to be encountered due to this aspect. Hidden populations are individuals whose size and boundaries are unknown, and for whom no sampling frame exists (Moustakas, 2001). Qualitative methods require definitive

Thursday, October 31, 2019

The World of Geomatics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The World of Geomatics - Essay Example 5000 years ago) and it is a requirement in the planning and execution of nearly every form of construction. Its most familiar modern uses are in the fields of transport, building and construction, communications, mapping, and the definition of legal boundaries for land ownership. The basic principles of surveying have changed little over the ages, but the tools used by surveyors have evolved tremendously. Engineering, especially civil engineering, depends heavily on surveyors. Whenever there are roads, dams, retaining walls, bridges or residential areas to be built, surveyors are involved. They determine the boundaries of private property and the boundaries of various lines of political divisions. They also provide advice and data for geographical information systems (GIS), computer databases that contain data on land features and boundaries. Surveyors must have a thorough knowledge of algebra, basic calculus, geometry, and trigonometry. They must also know the laws that deal with surveys, property, and contracts. In addition, they must be able to use delicate instruments with accuracy and precision. On the subject of accuracy, a surveyor is typically held to an accuracy standard of twelve-one thousandths (.012) (12/1000) of an inch over a length of one hundred (100) feet. This means, for perspective purposes, that a professional land surveyor can be expected to complete a survey of a one hundered (100) foot circle and upon returning to the point of beginning not deviate from his or her course no more than the width of a human finger-nail. In most states of the U.S., surveying is recognized as a distinct profession apart from engineering. Licensing requirements vary by state, however these requirements generally all have a component of education, experience and examinations. In the past, experience gained through an apprenticeship, together with passing a series of state-administered examinations, was required to attain licensure. Nowadays, many states require a Bachelor of Science in Surveying, or a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering with additional coursework in surveying, in addition to experience and examination requirements. Typically the process for registration follows two phases. First, upon graduation, the candidate may be eligible to sit for the Fundamentals of Land Surveying exam, to be certified upon passing and meeting all other requirements as a Surveyor In Training (SIT).. The Role of Survey Engineering in the Future Since the nation's well being in coming years will be more tied to global markets and developments than in the past, it is appropriate for the survey engineers to become more active at international and global levels as well. By playing a strong role in promoting, facilitating, and conducting international and global studies to develop critical science information, survey engineers lends support to national security as well as foreign policy and private sector interests as the following examples illustrate: The larger world population of the future will be concentrated in developing countries. Many of these people will be living in low-latitude coastal regions where urban and economic growth is most intense and where the incidence of severe natural disasters- earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, and hurricanes-is more common. Moreover, the interconnectedness that is

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Supplier evaluationfor achieving long-term performance Essay

Supplier evaluationfor achieving long-term performance - Essay Example outside the business then it follows that the biggest opportunities for improvement in their cost position will also be found in that wider supply chain (Christopher, 2005). Having the right suppliers ultimately makes a significant difference to an organization’s future in reducing operational costs and improving the quality of its end products, whereas having the wrong suppliers can cause operational and financial problems (Zeydan, Colpan and Cobanoglu, 2011). This has led firms to focus on improving their supply chain by continuously evaluating the performances of their suppliers. To achieve this, firms are increasingly building collaborative relationships with partners in their supply chain in order to achieve efficiencies, flexibility, and a competitive advantage (Whipple, Lynch, and Nyaga 2009). Such a relationship which involves collaborative activities, such as information sharing, joint relationship effort, and dedicated investments leads to trust and commitment. Trust and commitment in turn lead to improved satisfaction and performance. Unlike a transactional relationship where there is only a simple exchange between buyer and supplier, where the supplier provides goods or services and the buyer provides money in payment, the collaborative approach that firms are adopting allows the buyer organization to seek to develop a long-term relationship with the supplier. The strategic view is that the buyer organization and the supplier share common interests, and both benefit from seeking ways of adding value in the supply chain. There is a win-win situation, where buyer, supplier and end-customer can all benefit (CIP, 2010). However, in order for the buyer to keep track of these relationships and assess the supplier performance, an evaluation process must be in place (Stueland, 2004). It is quite understandable why companies today turn to buyers to reduce costs because good buyers will reduce the overall costs suffered by their organization. In turn, this

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Importance of the Nurse Patient relationship in delivering care

Importance of the Nurse Patient relationship in delivering care The nurse-patient relationship is essential to the delivery of care. By use of verbal and non-verbal communication skills, nurses can offer the three core conditions of all therapeutic relationships to patients, empathy, genuineness and unconditional positive regard. It is the intention of this essay to discuss in depth the nature of one of the core conditions associated with effective helping skills. In relation to communication and an effective nurse-patient relationship the application of the core condition will also be examined The first core condition that is associated with effective helping skills is empathy. This is the beginnings of a helping relationship, the ability to enter into and understand the world of the other person and being able to communicate this understanding to them (Egan 2002). The second core condition is genuineness which Rogers (1994) defined as a personal quality or relationship characterised by open and honest communication where professionals do not hide behind their role. Unconditional positive regard often described as acceptance is the third core condition and this involves taking a non-judgemental attitude towards the client accepting and respecting them for who and what they are (Freshwater 2010). According to Rogers (2003) the core conditions are the necessary and sufficient tools needed to achieve a positive outcome in therapy. The core condition that has been chosen to be discussed in this essay and is associated with effective helping skills is unconditional positive reg ard. Unconditional positive regard is a very difficult skill to learn but also a very important one as nurses and patients beliefs and values may conflict altogether. It is important to note that no single core condition stands in isolation from the others and that the three conditions are automatically brought into the natural communication style (Wickman and Campbell 2003). Unconditional positive regard is often defined as acceptance. According to Rogers (2003) it is when one person is completely accepting towards another person. This is not just a show of acceptance but it is an attitude that is then demonstrated through behaviour. The patient should be able to feel as if they can freely express their emotions without fear of being rejected by the nurse. Hough (2007), says the patients need to feel valued unconditionally even when what they bring to the nurse may not be positive à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ in fact it may be frightening or upsetting. This may be particularly true of patients who have been abused who may feel embarrassed and ashamed and could also be anxious as to what the nurse will think of them. The nurse must therefore own the necessary skills to put aside any personal prejudices and provide a safe and accepting environment for the patient. Hough (2007) is careful to point out that whilst this does not necessarily mean that the nurse must li ke or approve of everything the patients says or does, it is important for the nurse to be able to separate their own views from that of the patient. Hough (2007) suggests that the whole philosophy behind unconditional positive regard is to allow the patient to feel accepted, therefore the patient is more likely to accept themselves and be confident in their own abilities. Unconditional positive regard is the necessary and sufficient condition to allow the patient to change in a constructive manner (Wilkins and Bozarth 2001). There are a number of key components that put together unconditional positive regard, and according to Aengel (2010), these include respect, nurturing and caring for the other person, and being compassionate and understanding to a persons personal struggle with issues and problems. Unconditional positive regard might be difficult because of the manner or style of the matter or something about the patient might conflict with our own personal values. Nurses must put aside any pre-judgements and opinions, accept the patient at face-value and to try to treat the issue that they are currently presented with. Nurses cannot let any judgements affect the relationship with the patient because it might affect the care and treatment they receive. The counsellors guide (2009) emphasises that unconditional positive regard as being one of the most difficult counselling skills to learn because people are very skilled at being able to accept people for who they are, without considering whether they really are who they claim to be. This prevents them from allowing stereotypes and personal opinions affect their judgements. As for unconditional positive regard it may be possible that the nurse may come to like or even love the patient with whom they may at first have not felt much connection (Tschudin 1995). According to The Nursing and Midwifery Council (2008) Code of Conduct nurses are required to treat people as individuals and respect their dignity. They should not discriminate in any way, recognise diversity and respect and value beliefs of others. Thus part of valuing the other person is to accept them for who they are. Carl Rogers (1994) called acceptance unconditional positive regard. It implies that there should be respect for the other person irrespective of what he or she may do or has done. Acceptance of another person involves an non-judgemental attitude as Ruddick (2010) suggests, as this creates a safe environment in which the patient can explore their most sensitive thoughts and feelings. The nurse must recognise that being non-judgemental is not always possible and if the nurse lays judgement on the patient then they will compromise their relationship with them and because they feel judged then they may become defensive rather than opening up and exploring their issues (Geldard and Geldard 2003). Geldard and Geldard (2003) also suggest that the opposite of being accepting is to be critical. Being critical of someone will make them become fixed in their thinking and their behaviours and they will generally resist changing. When they are accepted they feel good about themselves and they can get in touch with their personality and positive parts and learn to move forward. Collins (2009) argues that judgemental attitudes can stand in the way of getting to know your pat ient and that labels attached to individuals such as demented can act as a language barrier. Effective nursing requires us to be assertive, responsible and to help our patients achieve the best possible health status (Balzer Riley 2008). Effective communication is more than delivering high quality patient-centred care. It also allows patients to feel involved in their care, which can make a significant difference to their outlook on their treatment (Collins 2009). The personal qualities of a nurse should include compassion, respect and a non-judgemental approach, according to The Royal College of Nursing (2003). The nurse must provide holistic care for patients and the goal is to listen to the whole person and provide them with empathetic understanding. Another key point is that the nurse must be non judgemental no matter what the patients circumstances are and be keen to develop a therapeutic relationship as they learn to accept people for who they are as each of us have had different experiences throughout life and these experiences make us who we are. Wilkins (2010) is keen to point out that there is not much difference between the nurses attempt to communicate unconditional positive regard and empathic understanding and the patients awareness of them. What the nurse communicates is not always understood and perhaps with respect to simplifying the understanding of unconditional positive regard, it may be necessary to have patience, consiste ncy and genuineness of acceptance (Wilkins 2010). According to Dunne (2005) it is important that nurses develop their communication skills so that they can become more skilled in their interpersonal contact with their patients. The beginning of any nurse-patient relationship are needs which should be based on some fundamental aspects. Rogers(2003) described these as the core conditions, because the aforementioned argued that for a positive outcome to the therapeutic nurse-patient relationship, the nurse must display these core conditions. The nurse-patient relationship does not exist without the core conditions or at least it will not have a positive outcome. It is important to build up a good working relationship with any patient trust, respect and good communication skills are all essential but the counselling relationship has to go that bit further because it tends to deal with deeper issues (The Counsellors Guide 2009). Nurses work with a diverse variety of people from a wide range of social circumstances, with difference beliefs and values around health. This could be related to sexual health, alcohol consumption, smoking and so on. Freshwater (2010) suggests that many patients continue with their dangerous health behaviours despite having information about the adverse and potentially damaging aspects of their actions. This makes it difficult for the nurse to engage in any health promotion activities whilst continuing to value and respect the patient and in fact it may be that the patients and nurses beliefs may cause conflict on the whole (Freshwater 2010). The nurse-patient relationship is a professionally close and private one and in order for it to be effective it needs to reflect trust, caring, hope and autonomy (Brooker and Nicol 2003). By demonstrating this core condition of unconditional positive regard the nurse is offering support to others. Brooker and Nicol (2003) suggest that active li stening skills are essential in any therapeutic relationship and the nurse needs to explore how they can use communication skills; verbal and non-verbal to develop the relationship. The nurse-patient relationship is a series of interactions between the nurse and the patient in which the nurse assists the patient to reach a positive communicative change. The skills of active listening, open questioning and reflection promote better communication and the evidence suggests the need for nurses and other health professionals to develop their communication skills so that they can simplify the process of communication with the patient (Dunne 2005). It is in the therapeutic relationship that true person-centred care is the product of genuine engagement with the patient whose fears are being uncovered according to Ruddick (2010) A therapeutic relationship cannot be maintained with the expression of unconditional positive regard and before the patient can understand themselves they must be able to accept themselves (Dexter and Wash 2001). The core condition of unconditional positive regard is a very difficult skill to learn and probably one of the hardest things a nurse has been asked to do. According to Dexter and Wash (2001) the nurse is asked to accept an individual without any kind of judgement and without criticism. The nurse is not only being asked to accept the patient but respect them too even though the nurse may not know what the patients previous behaviour has been. To be an effective counsellor, the nurse is asked to dissolve their own values, beliefs, prejudices and stereotypes and must try to understand the patients values, beliefs, prejudices and stereotypes even though they are totally opposed to their own (Dexter and Wash 2001). In conclusion, this essay has briefly discussed all three of the core conditions, which are, empathy, genuineness and unconditional positive regard. It has explained the rationale for choosing unconditional positive regard to discuss in this essay. Unconditional positive regard is often defined as acceptance and this is often demonstrated through behaviour. The key point that has been examined in this essay is that of how the nurse must put aside their own feelings and views and accept the patient for who and what they are. The essay has included how the core condition is used in relation to communication and an effective nurse-patient relationship. Another key point is that active listening skills are essential in any therapeutic relationship and the essay has explored how the nurse can use different communication skills to help to develop the relationship with the patient. Finally, the essay has discussed how unconditional positive regard is a very difficult skill to learn. It is p robably one of the hardest conditions associated with effective helping skills because the beliefs and values of the nurse and patient may conflict together. 1989 words